Organizing all of
your little PECs Icons can be a challenge in any special education
program.At the end of the day, those
icons can be found everywhere in the classroom.Finding a simple storage system to make setting up schedules,
communication books and activities a breeze is imperative to making it
functional for any teacher.Consider
purchasing an organizer like this one to organize by image.This can be found in the art section of most
craft stores.

I have LOOTS of
monthly goodies.I store all of my
monthly decorations, adapted books, stories, interactive activities and
seasonal activities in large tubs.I
label the tubs and store them up high and out of reach.At the end of each month I can easily pull
the tub down and put the old away and take out the new.

I store all of our
sensory goodies in a rolling bin in the front of the room.I have the drawers labeled as: sensory balls,
sensory bottles and sensory fidgets.These are easy to find when needed for a kiddo!

I store all of
outside toys and bubbles in a wagon.This makes it SUPER easy to roll out for recess and outdoor play
time.My students are able to take the
wagon out on their own and be independent which is the ultimate goal in
everything we do!

I am very lucky to
have lockers in my room.Students store
their belongings in their labeled locker every morning!.They store backpacks, jackets and lunches.

When students come in in the morning they put their homework folders in the homework folder basket.Each student has a drawer with their name on it where we put work and things that need to go home.This makes for packing up at the end of the day super easy!

In the second set
of drawers I store all of my paperwork that we need often: self-care request, nurse
slips, weekly communication sheets, daily communication sheets, health aide
forms, behavior data

Tomorrow is the LAST day to discuss classroom organization! Be sure to come back and check it out :)

Organization is the key to a successful special education program.By having an organized classroom it will
reduce stress for staff and students.By
spending the time and effort to organize your program before the school year
starts, you will save tons of time throughout the school year preparing for
each day.Organization is IMPERATIVE for
success.

Also
at the red table I have a TEACCH Binder system implemented.The Binder Work system was designed to create
a systematic routine system for students to work independently on already
mastered skills that they learn at the math, reading, and writing centers.

Math is SUCH a
complex subject to teach to any child. When you add in sensory processing
disorders, speech and language delays, visual impairments and outright
behaviors, it makes math THAT much more complex. Most store curriculums
only provide 20 pages of practice on one skill before it gets more challenging.
This does NOT work for my students, as some students may be working on
the same skill for 6 months, or even 2 years.To overcome this challenge I designed my own leveled math curriculum for
students with special needs.

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Reading is such an
important skill to teach students.It is
also one of the most challenging because students are most often reading at all
different levels.Students working on
matching pictures vs. students working on comprehension questions of the 4th
grade text is hard to manage at the same time.It is important to have student groups managed by level to make it
easier.It is important to jot down all
IEP goals so you can be certain you are meeting each students goals.All reading takes place at the green center
during the afternoon work centers.

Writing is the
most challenging subject in my class.My
students DESPISE writing.I developed my
own writing curriculum to help meet the needs and differentiate for all of my students
varying abilities.I have designed 7
different levels to target each child in your classroom..I have created 180 days worth of instruction!
For all 180 days there are seven differentiated levels so that students
can progress towards independence yet work as a class on the same subject at
their OWN level!

I get a lot of questions about the curriculum I use in my
classroom. It is so hard to have a simple answer because I use SO many
strategies and curriculums. I pick and choose from the best and adapt
most to meet my students needs.

Small sensory
toys/fidgets can make the biggest difference in a students day.By introducing small sensory toys to a
students work routine, the child may be better able to regulate their
emotions.Students can carry around a
sensory toy, work for a sensory toy or take breaks with a sensory toy depending
on the child’s individual needs.

What do you do
with those extra fidgety students?A
great tool can be an individualized sensory box that can be stored in their
desk.Using a plastic box with al id,
store some of the students favorite sensory items in it.Create picture icons of each item inside the
box and attach it to the lid with velcro.Allow students to request an item when needed.

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Organization is
key- so creating a sensory corner is a great way to store all of your sensory
equipment so that it is easily assessable for the students and staff! The
equipment can be large and bulky if not properly stored..It can also get in the way if it is out in
the open.

For the students
that are sensory seeking, try adding a “sensory corner” icon to their schedule
every hour.It is a great way to
integrate sensory into their schedule and to help regulate their behaviors that
may impede their learning without the sensory break!

Sensory diets are
a tool used and designed to meet a child individual sensory needs.
If you have your students sensory needs in balance- behaviors will be
much better managed. Sensory diets are a simple planned sensory routine
that is embedded within their normal routine.

Simply put (in teacher terms), sensory processing disorder is a condition that affects the way a person responds to different things within the environment Their brain is unable to process their surroundings appropriately. Here are some examples in the school setting that may affect a child with sensory processing disorder: crowded hallways, bright lights, smelly food, and gooey art supplies.

Teaching communication for wants and needs is important- but we must build upon this.Some students learn, “I want…” and that’s it.We must build upon the skills each student has and push them to communicate more!Here are a few different activities you can do.

I
love to facilitate communication during snack.It is one of the most “desired” times of our school day- so why not turn
it into a functional communication activity!The rule during snack is, “If you want it- ask for it.”Here are the different methods of
communication we use- other than our voice1

PEC’s
is a great system for communication.Once your student has progressed through the beginning stages of PEC’s
it is time to introduce a sentence strip to build full sentence
communication.Simply follow the steps
below to make your own PECs book!

Teaching
Communication is my top priority in the school setting.One of my favorite ways to integrate
communication is for some of the most preferred items in my classroom.I add icons throughout the room in special
locations to teach students to request independently.An example is shown below:

I love to use
first/then cards.They are a great
visualto aide students to understand
the sequence of their day.It is also a
good motivator for students to “work first/then play”

INDIVIDUALIZED BEHAVIOR SUPPORTS

There are so many
visuals that you can find and apply to your students in your classroom.However, you must always put your students
needs first.Not all visuals are a “one
size fits all” model.With this being
said, here are a few examples of individualized behavior visuals that I have
created.

I utilize visual
working cardsfor my students all day!The simple visual can help a student participate in the classroom
routine along with their peers with little to no disruptions.Depending on the child and their needs will
determine how often you token the child to allow them to earn their
breaks./preferred item.The goal should
be to reduce the amount of breaks within the day and to allow them to
eventually be successful without a working card.

My two calm downkits currently contain all of the behavior visuals I need for my students
behavioral needs.Both have tools and
visuals to meet the needs of aggressive, angry and frustrated students.Read the next few pages to see what all is
included.